Once Upon A Time
by CayKReader
Summary: Once Upon A Time, a low slave girl fell in love with the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth. In the Western Commonwealth, the girl destined to be queen is wanted dead. I do not own any of these characters, all rights go to Marissa Meyer!
1. Chapter 1

Cinder made her way past the trough, tossing bits of food to the chickens. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to remember what good smelled like. It was everything but this dung, rancid smell of animals. The horses snickered at her unfortunate situation and nudged her hand for more food. With a resigned sigh, she obliged. It'd been so long since her time to go to bed and she was aching to go back to bed.

She counted. Sixteen years. For sixteen _freakin_ ' years, she'd been here in the castles working with a low chin and downcast eyes and slouched shoulders. Why did it have to be so long? Whoever her parents were, they never came back for her. She'd been told by Cook that she came here as a wee little baby, fists pumping energetically in the air and screaming baby curses and devouring the world supply of sound. And today was her birthday but, of course, only Scarlet would know. And maybe Carswell, if he wasn't in his sullen days.

 _Four minutes until the next bell rings,_ Cinder reminded herself. She left the barns happily and shut the heavy doors behind her. She walked over to the small entrance that only servants used and to the kitchen. Immediately, Cinder saw Scarlet's fiery red hair in the mixture of dark haired and brown hair. Cinder offered a smile in Scarlet's direction and Scarlet turned around and saw her. Scarlet glanced over at Cook, spanking a wooden spoon on a servant's head and scolding on the top of her lungs. Slipping away to Cinder in the place behind the walls and up the winding staircase, Scarlet pulled Cinder closer into a hug. " Happy birthday, Cinder," Scarlet laughed as she pulled away.

Cinder felt a silly smile in her lips. Scarlet winked her vibrant green eyes at Cinder as she jerked out a package for her friend. Scarlet handed it to her. Cinder tucked her chin as she unraveled the mystery in the package. She almost squealed with delight. Cinder stuffed the macaroon into her mouth, trying to say, " Thank you."

Scarlet laughed her bright, cheerful laugh as her beautiful locks of velvet hair slipped around the cuffing of the band and to the sides of her face. " I had to sneak it from Prince Kaito's platter before he could notice it."

Cinder's heart almost dropped. Scarlet saw her expression and the girlish, mischievous look appeared in Scarlet's eyes. " You got this from P-prince K-kai's–"

" Yeah, I did. So be happy. Ten years of having a crush can be tiring, Cinder, _seriously_ ," Scarlet said indifferently as she crossed her arms and leaned on the wall. Cinder savored the taste of the already melted macaroon.

" Sixteen, actually. Since it's my sixteenth's birthday, I've liked him ever since I was born," Cinder argued. She licked her fingers from the sugar of the macaroon.

" I wish we could spend all day at that one shop," Scarlet sighed. " I wish I could get you something better than just that! Like a dress or something."

Cinder rolled her eyes as she shoved the wrapping into her pocket. " Sure, Scar. I won't know how to fix a dress when it rips."

" You're not fat, Cinder. You barely have any meat in those bones," Scarlet insisted. To make her point clearer, she pinched Cinder's cheek.

Cinder waved Scarlet's hand away. " Agh, whatever. Never in my life will I ever wear a dress, alright? And I wasn't talking about that. I'm so clumsy I might rip it while just walking!"

Scarlet nodded her head in agreement. " You do have a point. Oh, right. I heard Carswell's gonna be visiting us during cleaning hours. He told me that Commander Mira's giving him the day off early because of his, what did he say, outstanding improvement."

Cinder beamed. " That'll be great. Let's hope he comes at the right moment."

Scarlet was about to say something when Cook suddenly shrieked, " SCAR GIRL, WHERE IN THE WRETCHED WORLDS ARE YOU?"

Scarlet winced painfully and said a hasty bye to Cinder. Cinder smacked her lips again as she picked up the leftover crumbs of the macaroon. Cinder shrugged her way over to the staircase and climbed up. She reached the door and opened it to the empty hallway. It was a hallway that only royals used. She had an appointment with Empress Stella. Probably more laundry, Cinder thought to herself as she went to Empress Stella's door. She went to the door and the soldiers immediately halted her. She explained her reason of being present and the soldiers let her inside.

And her heart lurched into her throat.

She saw Prince Kaito talking to his mother. Empress Stella was beautiful and regal. She had a elegant red dress on her light skin. Her arms draped on the support of the chair. A gold crown of rubies rested on the crown on her head with her silky black hair pinned up behind her in beautiful curls. Her slender, almond shaped brown eyes looked at Cinder kindly and her not painted yet pink lips lifted up in maternal love. " Ah, Cinder. Thank you for being here on time."

Then Prince Kaito turned around. But Cinder couldn't look at him. She knew that he was handsome and good-looking, from the eyes and the witnesses of his looks. All of the girls in the castle had a crush on the prince, except for Scarlet. Scarlet had absolute no interest in anything here except for Cinder's well being and Carswell's graduating into a captain. She felt red forming on her neck. But she'd never actually seen his face. Never once.

She immediately looked down and smoothed her skirt. But they were rags. Obviously. She bowed to both royals and murmured, " Your Majesties, forgive me for interrupting you."

Prince Kaito answered, " It's quite fine, servant. I'll leave now, Mother. See you at lunch."

As Prince Kaito walked by Cinder, she smelled his rich smell and she thought she was going to faint. He left the door shut and clipped. Cinder looked up but didn't meet the empress's eye. The empress said, " My son was talking to me about his sister. Levana's been in her . . . tempered days lately." The empress had tired wrinkles around her eyes as she attempted to give a light smile. Cinder managed a closed lip smile back, too. " If you could, I have these dirty clothes I'd to get washed for the ball. I believe it's coming up in two days. Please wash them carefully, however."

Cinder nodded her head respectfully and took the clothes from the basket the empress had lain on the side. Before closing the door, Cinder bowed to the queen once more.

Carswell said, " Boo."

Scarlet smacked Carswell's bare chest with a wet rag. " You almost made me scream!"

Carswell laughed. He had come from his unexpected training. It was running, Cinder knew, when he ran towards them with no shirt and sweat barely dripping down his forehead. But Scarlet left a bright red mark on Carswell's sculptured chest. It almost made Cinder laugh.

Carswell laid an elbow on Cinder's shoulder and said, " Well, happy birthday, Cinder."

" Well, thank you, Carswell. And you stink so come back when you're smelling better," Cinder added, taking the wet rag in her hand and wringing it. Water leaked back into the dirty bucket of water and scrubbed the marble floor.

" I don't smell that bad," he argued.

Scarlet tossed him a playful glare. " Your nose must've retired then."

Carswell rolled his eyes as he squatted next to them and whistled under his breath. " You know what I just remembered?"

" That you stink?" offered Cinder.

" Good one, Cinder. No, I'm talking about the ball coming up in two days. I heard that the king and queen from Western Commonwealth and their daughter are coming to the ball as well."

Scarlet and Cinder halted and faced Carswell with their whole bodies. Then, Cinder scoffed loudly and flicked water in Carswell's face. " Shut up, Thorne. That's stupid."

" I'm serious!" Carswell raised his hands in protest. " I heard Commander Mira telling Commander Park about the report from the emperor. _Himself_."

" Lower your hands 'cause your pits are exposed," scolded Scarlet under her breath as she went back to scrubbing the floor. " I think your words could either be false or true. Whatever it is, Carswell, people pick up word fast and could spread rumors."

" Rumors?"

" About you repeating words that aren't meant to be heard," Cinder explained with a sigh, " and that your stench is worse than the manure I clean everyday."

" Actually, your odor stinks even more, Cinder. Just because you can't smell it doesn't you don't stink."

" Back to you as well, Sir Thorne," Scarlet muttered with sarcasm in her voice when she said his name.

Cinder chuckled quietly as she went back to scrubbing. Carswell stayed quiet. She knew what he was thinking. Whenever he got quiet out of nowhere, he was thinking of his parents. Parents that abandoned him for Commander Mira to take care of. Cinder remembered him as a little boy, lost and scared. He stayed silent for two years and only said, " Yes, Commander." Then, he approached Cinder and Scarlet and asked them if he could play with them. Now with him being the same age the prince, he was such a chatterbox. On the good days, though.

" I might be stationed next to Prince Kaito, if you're interested," Carswell added.

Cinder tossed her head up and looked at him. Then, she narrowed her eyes and looked away and continued to work. " Stop joking around. Not in a million years would you be stationed to watch over Prince Kaito."

" Would you like to ask Commander Mira?"

" No, she scares me," Scarlet interrupted. Scarlet did her best impression of Commander Mira. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her brow high into the sky as she asked her in rough voice, " Would you like to help those slave scum clean the stables, soldier?"

Carswell and Cinder laughed. " I don't think you're scared, Scar," Carswell said.

Scarlet laughed, too. " No, I don't think I am."

Cinder sat on the chair behind the rusty table. She jerked out gears of the clock and inspected inside. Yup, she knew it. It snapped in half–the second gear. Cinder exhaled sharply in a scoff and fished out the gear that was snapped in half and looked at it closely. It looked as if someone had purposely broken it and came to Cinder to ask her to of fix it.

In her spare time, and on the weekends, Cinder was a clock smith. She came here and fixed clocks while she could. And she liked hearing the gentle, rhythmic tapping of the clocks. It settled her nerves and her heartbeat went along with the clocks. She knew precisely what time to leave and what time she got here because of the twenty different clocks on the wall showing different times.

 _Great_.

Cinder slammed the clock on the table and heard the insides jolt. She peered inside, satisfied with its outcome, and placed back the other parts. She waited–exactly two minutes–as she looked at the other clocks on the wall, and the clock in her hands began to work.

Cinder had changed out of her rag dress and wore the plain tunic and pants that she'd bought with her money. She got paid little as a clock smith. But she liked it. Rather than always being kept inside of the castle walls, she was out and being able to do a small business she enjoyed.

She liked to work with metal. Why, she didn't know. It made her happy and it was the best thing she could do. She wasn't good working with cosmetics or fancy dresses or food. She was good at cleaning and fixing.

She propped her chin in her palm with her elbow on the table. She toyed with a loose spring on the side of her. Then, suddenly, a clock on the wall began to spiral out of control. She startled, looking at it mesmerized. She quickly got up and dragged the medium sized clock off of the wall right when it burst into nothing but spirals and gears exploding. She groaned loudly. This clock had been in her workshop for almost _two weeks_ and it still doesn't cooperate.

She lugged the clock over to her work table and started to take apart the clock. She dropped a spiral on the ground and muttered loudly, " Dang it." She crouched down low to pick it up as the doorbell rang.

She rarely got any customers and mostly fixed her own scavenged clocks. She tried to get up too quickly and ended up banging her head against the table. Pain exploded in her brain and she rubbed her messy hair really hard and began to hiss as she got up. She said, " Hello, how can I help you?"

She saw who it was.

It was a young man wearing a gray cloak with black tunic and black vest and pants. His polished black boots expensive. But his face . . . It looked like was carved by an angel.

An angel who did too good of a job.

He had the softest copper brown eyes with soft arches of brows. His black hair was messily disheveled and let down. She could see he combs his hair every morning but today decided not to. Was he trying to hide from people? If so, why?

Cinder furrowed her brow at what he carried. " Oh, yeah, sorry," the man said, clearing his throat. He reluctantly dropped the object on the table. " I didn't mean to startle you. Did you hit your head hard?"

Cinder stared. Why was a rich man like him here? Then, she realized she was staring and she stammered out, " Right, sorry. Yeah, my head's not broken. What did you bring me here today?"

" Well, no. I was looking for a clock smith named . . . Cinder?"

" Well, you're looking at her."

The man startled. " Oh, I see. I thought women didn't . . . run businesses."

Cinder felt herself get a little irritated. " I can assure you, sir, that I'm capable of running a business. And, also, it's a small business."

The man looked around on the clocks on the wall. " Which one tells the correct time?"

Cinder jerked to the pocket watch on the gold chain on his black vest. " Yours. None of these tell the correct time."

" Why keep junk?"

Cinder ignored him. She gestured to the object he laid. " So what's wrong with this?"

" Oh, this is a gift, actually. But when I bought it, it was broken. Made of pure gold and studded with diamonds," he said.

Cinder was peering closely at the object and realized the clock was on a bracelet. It was made of a thin chain of gold and was studded by large diamonds. The gold was soft, the clock looked like it was made from diamonds itself. But when he described it, she glared up at him and said, " I'm not blind."

" Just letting you know," the man said sheepishly.

Cinder said after turning it in her hands, " I don't think it's broken. It just needs a new battery."

" Yeah, and I asked my roy-I mean, ahem, regular clock smith to find the battery because he said the same thing. But he said that someone named Cinder had them and told me the directions here."

" Wow, you could've just said that in the beginning instead of calling my collection junk."

" When did I–" He stopped as if remembering what he said. " When can I come back for it?"

Cinder looked at it once more. " I can obtain the battery in a week . . . or so."

" What takes so long to place in battery? Sorry to rush you, but I need my clock by three days time."

" One, it doesn't take long to place in battery. It's getting the battery. And two, I won't be here on the third day you need it. I'll be occupied with other business."

" A small businesswoman doing other business?'

Cinder glared at him. " I don't know who you are, but if you're going to continue to provoke me then you can take your clock to some other clock smith."

Cinder was turning around, trying to find the missing spring she never retrieved from the ground, when the man said, " I'll pay. In gold."

Cinder halted. She turned around again and saw the man shoving his hands in his pockets in his vest. He fished out the pocket watch and watched the hand tick. He snapped it shut and said to her, who was standing still, " I'll come back in three days. If you don't come, no money."

He walked out with the ringing of the doorbell. Cinder muttered some curses as she ripped out a receipt and began to mail it to Linh Garan, asking for the batteries.


	2. Chapter 2

Prince Kaito looked at his father's advisor, Kon Torinn, as Kon Torinn told the emperor, " Your Majesty, I have some news for you."

" There is always news, Torinn," the emperor grumbled as he flipped through pages and pages and pages of the old texts.

" The Western Commonwealth king and queen and princess are coming to the ball as we expect. However, you have told me about Princess Winter's power that she has. Whatever she has, we cannot permit. If she is to become the queen of the Western Commonwealth, it could be the end of us."

" Right," the emperor said, putting down the papers in interest of where Torinn was going. He waved his hand for the soldiers stationed in the room to leave. Kai stayed still in his seat.

" I have put much effort and thought into it. I think we need to eliminate Princess Winter."

Kai's attention perked higher and he pretended to read, but he was looking at his father's expression. He's been acting weird these days. To randomly screaming curse words to being so isolate and quiet. Calling the emperor crazed was wrong but that's what the emperor was. And it made Kai the next target of turning crazed, too.

Kai had always known his father as being a kind, gentle ruler. But could the emperor seriously consider assassinating Princess Winter?

Kai had never met her before. He heard about her phenomenal beauty and her power to control minds. It was a gift from the original kings of Commonwealth. But it split during a war of two brothers who had the same power. No one had it for centuries until Princess Winter was born.

Kai didn't have it. Didn't want it anyways. And he was glad. Because if he did, people would look at him with judgement and difference. He would be left out.

" I see," Emperor Rikan said. " I don't know what to make of it, yet, Torinn. But do you have another suggestion? I was think of trying to ally with them."

Torinn shook his head. " Thinking of trying to ally with them is a good option, Your Majesty. However, will it be possible with King Evret's attitude?"

" Pray he has changed for the better, Torinn. I wish to speak to my son in private."

" Your Majesty," Torinn said, bowing to both the emperor and prince. When he left, Kai felt a little uneasy.

" Kaito," Emperor Rikan beckoned. " Come closer and put down the book."

Kai obeyed and scooted his chair closer to his father. Emperor Rikan said, " You've put some thought into the marriage alliance with Princess Winter, right? Did you get the watch?"

" I did, Father. I dropped it off at the clock smith's place. She was rather stubborn and rude," Kai added under his breath.

" I beg your pardon? She?"

" Yeah, big surprise. It's a young girl who works there."

" Did you tell her who you are?"

" No. Why should I?"

" Good," Emperor Rikan said. He leaned back in his chair. " Anyways, Kaito, I've been thinking much at night. This is the best option for the Eastern and Western Commonwealth. This marriage alliance."

" But Levana still gets the inheritance?"

" Your sister deserves it, Kai."

Kai tried his best not to smirk. His adopted sister, Levana, was only ten years older that him. It happened when Empress Stella came across the abandoned baby in the streets. She didn't have a child at that time and she took in Levana as her own. Then, when Kai was born, she still fussed over Levana.

Kai tried his best to please his parents in whatever. Whether in politics or business managing or even athletic competitions. Nothing. They only saw him as an asset to give to the Western Commonwealth to marry their daughter.

Well, it hasn't been decided yet. But he was certain it would happen. Most women that looked at him fell in love with him. And it gave him unwanted attention.

" She doesn't have the royal blood, Father."

Emperor Rikan narrowed his eyes. " Kaito, just because she doesn't have the royal blood doesn't mean she can't take it."

" No, Father, what I mean is, is she capable in taking the throne?"

" Yes. She'll be an excellent ruler."

Kai swallowed hard and left his father's office with a heavy heart.

Kai tried his best not glare at his sister as she ate. She always wore that damned veil over her face. Ever since the accident with her tripping into the furnace, she'd been wearing that. Kai forgot what she looked like, but he knew that she always wore a gray veil. When she eats, when she washes her face, or showers. Not that he knows, but when she went swimming with him after much reluctance she still wore it.

That was years ago. When Kai was fourteen and he tried to bond with his sister and try to love her. But he just couldn't seem to. He didn't mind living with her until their parents finally declared her the heir of the Eastern Commonwealth.

But a lock of her brunette hair slipped out of the view of the veil. One thing he knew about her–she always took the time to look good. With a veil over her face.

The empress looked at Kai and said, " Sweetie, do you feel ill?'

Kai put down his spoon and cleared his throat. " Actually, I'm not hungry. I think I'd rather skip this meal."

The empress caught her son's wrist before he could leave. " No, stay, Kaito. We have dessert. Macaroons, your favorite."

Kai didn't like macaroons. Levana did. Kai didn't like sweets. The empress didn't even know his favorite food.

Suddenly a plate was in front of him while Kai was drinking his water in anger and it carried a large roasted animal. Kai coughed on his water, choking and retching on the side. A servant gushed out with apologies and tried to clean the floor as Kai continued to throw up the water that went down the wrong throat. When he recovered, his face was beet red and his family was staring at him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and reached for the napkin on the table to dab his mouth. " Excuse me," he said.

He turned around too sharply and bumped into the same servant girl who was apologizing and held the plate. They both fell onto the floor. Kai's forehead smacked into the girl's head and they both groaned loudly.

Soldiers were immediately offering assistance but Kai waved them off. He rubbed his head and looked down to see who it was. It was a girl with freckled skin and vibrant red hair. She peeled open her green eyes that met his and immediately lowered them. " I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! Are you hurt badly?"

Kai waved off her hand when she tried to touch his head and see if it was okay. " I'm fine, servant. Just go get yourself looked at." Kai hissed to himself as he pressed a firm hand against his forehead and stumbled out of the dining room.

" He's rather clumsy," Scarlet told Cinder as Cinder saw to the bruise on Scarlet's forehead. " He got scared from the roasted chicken and started coughing and retching. Then, he said he was going to leave while I was cleaning and he bumped into me. Hard. I guess there are flaws in him."

" Of course, Scar, he's human." To be honest, Cinder was a little jealous of Scar being so close to the prince. Cinder would die to lock eyes with his for a moment.

" I didn't mean to look into his eyes," Scarlet said, groaning out with pain as Cinder accidentally put too much pressure on the bruise. " But he told me to get myself looked at. He's some good soul but mostly clumsy. I noticed he glares at Princess Levana a lot."

" Wow. I thought he was loving and kind," Cinder said.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. " You thought he was loving and kind. I thought he smart and the perfect ruler. He's smart but he's not exactly the perfect ruler."

" That'll be fine," Cinder said. " If he's not the ruler he doesn't have to marry."

Scarlet guffawed. " Why? Are you going to?'

" Maybe. I don't know. He doesn't even know I exist."

Scarlet stayed quiet for a little bit. " Then do you want to trade places with me for a little bit?'

" No, I can't." Cinder sighed resentfully and washed the cloth in water, the cloth she used to press against Scarlet's head. " I have to work on this rich guy's gift watch."

" Oh, yeah. Tell me about it."

" About the watch? It's gold, studded with diamonds, need of new battery, and–"

" No, about the guy."

" Why?"

Scarlet shrugged, a mischievous glint in the green eyes. " Because you could end up liking that guy then you'll stop liking the prince and become like me. The girls in the castle who don't have a crush on Prince Kaito."

Cinder laughed. " Why? Are you lonely in your I-don't-have-a-crush-on-the-prince club?"

" Really lonely. But seriously, Cinder, what was the guy like?"

Cinder didn't have to think much. " He was annoying, rude, pompous. He was showing off his pocket watch and describing the value of the watch he handed to me to fix. Nothing likable about him."

" Except for the part where he's paying you in gold," Scarlet added.

" Except for the part where he's paying me in gold," agreed Cinder.

" But is he at least good looking?"

" He's okay looking. He still looked sleepy. Actually, he was really good looking. But his personality made me immediately dislike him."

Scarlet nodded in agreement. " I guess. If he bothers you again, just take me with you."

" You'll get in trouble by Chief Cook!"

" So?"

Cinder stared at Scarlet and burst into laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

One day until the ball. And two days until that mysterious, arrogant man would come back and ask Cinder if she had finished it. Scarlet could see the irritation in Cinder's face whenever Scarlet brought up her clock shop. Cinder would bury her hands in her hair and groan out, " Don't remind, Scar. I already ask Linh Garan to get it for me."

" And did he bring it to you yet?" Scarlet asked, raising a thin brow.

" No, and if he did, he'd be in trouble. If he didn't, he'd be in trouble."

" You and your impatience," Scarlet said. She and Cinder were going to her clock shop. With some extra hours with no agenda, Scarlet offered to go with Cinder. Carswell said he probably wouldn't be able to see them for a while so they both bade him a goodbye and left the castle walls. Scarlet rarely got out, and mostly for the bad things. Running errands for Chief Cook or either just to escape the wild, feral hogs that would also get out of their pigsty and chase after her with the loudest, scratchiest squeal ever.

Ah, animals. Scarlet didn't mind them, in fact, she liked to spend time with the chickens. Yeah, they clucked and crowed at her and she would glare back at them and they would shut up. That one rooster, however, got on her nerves. Glaring at her with beady eyes, ruffling out its beautiful, male feathers to taunt her. Scarlet gave the rooster a fist and the rooster began to squawk and shrill like the earth was collapsing.

Scarlet wore her simply raggedy dress that covered up her knees but bounced gently on them. It was rude and extremely inappropriate for a lady to wear a dress showing off her leg skin–ankles, actually–but she couldn't afford that. No man grazed an eye over slave girls. Scarlet kept her fiery red hair pinned behind her cap in hopes to bring less attention to her and her best friend.

Cinder wore her usual clothes that she would wear to the clock shop. With pants and a normal colored tunic–rarely a cap, which she wore today–and the gloves. It was weird seeing Cinder with gloves, for Scarlet, because Cinder's hands were already raw from cleaning the floor with soggy water with the moldy scent.

" Stars," Cinder cursed when a man bumped her shoulder forcefully and didn't bother apologizing. Scarlet watched the back of his head with hawk eyes, pinned it, and threw an imaginary dart. Hmm.

" Leave it, Cinder," Scarlet assured her friend, crossing her arms defiantly. " I threw a dart, something bad should happen."

Cinder believed her. It was weird. Whenever Scarlet pretended to throw darts or any sharp needle at a disliked person in her imagination, something would always happen. Once, Scarlet had threw a dart at Commander Mira's back of her head and two minutes after doing so Carswell ran up to Scarlet and immediately told her that Commander Mira was stung by a venomous wasp. Frozen and petrified, Scarlet and Cinder had exchanged glances. It was a joke to make Scarlet feel better. But maybe it wasn't so.

The same thing happened. Scarlet had pretended to set a fire to Princess Levana's room and that very night, the room caught on fire and Levana had worn that veil ever since.

But with this man, Scarlet didn't exactly care what would happen to him. He was rude.

Cinder arrived at her shop and stabbed the key inside the lock and turned, the satisfying clicking sound taking place. She wiggled out the key and gestured for Scarlet to come in. Scarlet admired the familiar room as the broken clocks ticked with the wrong time.

Cinder rushed over to her desk and groaned. " No package," Cinder muttered, running a hand through her tangled, squashed hair as she used the other hand to lift up her cap.

" Maybe tomorrow," Scarlet said. " Maybe never," Cinder added quickly. " Tomorrow is the ball welcoming the royals of the Western Commonwealth. Linh Garan has been asked to attend, last he told me."

" There goes the gold," Scarlet sighed regretfully.

" You should go," Cinder said, waving a hand to encourage Scarlet. " I'm just going to be fixing this clock. I bet Chief Cook needs you."

" When does she never?"

Scarlet bade Cinder a goodbye and walked out of the door when she bumped into a large, bulky body. She slammed her forehead hard and almost felt like she bumped into a stone wall. She was propelled backwards and collided her neck on the door handle as she fell. Bleary eyed, hearing Cinder dash over to her, Scarlet peered up.

The light seemed to illuminate his body. But it wasn't the kind that was romantic. It was dark, sickly. It looked like a murder in the daylight. Ironic.

The light seemed to fade and Scarlet got a good look at his face. Aces, why did he have so many bruises and scars all over his face? The messy black hair entwined through each other like a raven's nest with wild, startling green eyes looking down at her. He wore black clothes, a black cloak. Honestly, he looked like he wanted to kill her.

But he surprised her when he knelt down next to her and said, " I'm so sorry, miss. Are you hurt?"

Scarlet shut her eyes as she winced as she touched her head tenderly. " No, obviously not."

She opened her eyes again and saw the man looking oblivious. " Sarcasm," she snapped.

Cinder reached her friend and helped her rise. Cinder was muttering some curses at the man, which he didn't hear because he was looking down. Then, Scarlet realized he was staring at her pale legs.

Scarlet scoffed. " Excuse me, sir, but looking a woman's bare legs are extremely inappropriate."

" You're a slave."

A statement of certainty. Now, it was Scarlet's turn to get irritated today. " You're a pervert," she declared. His eyes darted up to meet hers. They stayed like that, glaring at each other.

Cinder interrupted and said, " Sir, can I help you?"

The man glared at Scarlet for a few more seconds before turning to Cinder and saying, " Where I can find Linh Cinder?"

" You can find her right in front of you, talking to you," Cinder barked, shoving her hands in her pockets, a perfect, slicing glare in his direction. " And you should apologize to my friend."

" If anything, she should be apologizing to me. A slave bumping into a royal officer. And besides, I already did." Royal officer? Scarlet would've believed he was king rather than a "royal officer."

" For looking at her legs, sir. Or else I'll call the guards."

The man huffed indignantly. " I don't have to. She's a slave and slaves don't need to be apologized to. Where I live, it's even a waste of breath to utter words to them."

" Where you live," Cinder growled, " must teach their children no manners. She may be serving someone but she is human and she deserves an apology."

" Just call the guards on me," the man said, turning away.

Cinder let out a frustrated and angry noise. Scarlet felt a little dizzy–okay, a lie. She was really dizzy–but she ran after the man. She found him walking away, whistling to himself. She grabbed his cloak and jerked back. Hard.

The man stumbled backwards and scowled at her face. " What?"

" I want an apology, sir," Scarlet answered.

" I want you out of my sight," he chuckled with no humor in it. He clucked his tongue and used one finger to indicate her turning around and walking away.

Scarlet answered with a humorless noise in a sing-song kind of way, cocking her head, and said to him, " You know the worst people in this world are those who can't be humans for a second."

" You know who the most annoying people are in this world, slave?" He leaned forward, his nose touching hers. She caught a whiff of his clean smell that infuriated her. " People who don't know where their place is. And you, my dear, are a slave. I suggest you lower your eyes."

She felt something cold and heavy on her throat before she realized he was holding a knife to her throat. She swallowed and felt it scrape against the metal. She only lowered her eyes to see what kind of a blade it was but he thought she actually abided by his words and chuckled. He pushed a little harder, feeling a cold prick against her skin, and said, " Don't show your face to me again, slave. Next time, in my uniform, I'll kill you. Regardless."

Scarlet took a step back and he turned away just in time to not notice her clenching her fists. She retched out a blob of saliva and she spat it onto the ground. She used a trembling fist to wipe her fist. She said, " You'll apologize, you little worthless scum. I'll make that certain. Regardless." Then, she threw a dart.

oo

Scarlet barely had the time to treat her bruises from hitting her head when suddenly Emperor Rikan had summoned her. Scarlet frowned but found her long way up to the royal's floor and entered the emperor's office. She examined the expensive walls. The interior way behind her imagination of zeros behind a number.

The emperor was furiously writing a paper with his squeaking nib. Scarlet folded her hands before her, sort of sinking to hide her legs as much as possible. Still, she felt angered from that rude, perverted man from earlier.

The emperor dropped the nib on the paper, ink vomiting small droplets of black as he looked up and said, " You're Scarlet, right?"

Scarlet nodded. " Yes, Your Majesty." Her voice faltered as she hesitated. Did she say the wrong thing?

" I'm sure you know about the welcoming ball for King Evret and his family, I reckon?" The way the king said _welcoming ball_ made her concerned. Dissatisfaction was all over his face.

Scarlet nodded again. " Yes, Your Majesty."

" Words I utter here cannot be repeated outside of this room. You hear me?" She paused. " Yes, Your Majesty. Understood."

" If I see otherwise, I would have to . . . punish you severely." She swallowed hard. She squeaked, " Understood, my emperor."

The emperor nodded and then spoke. " Your family history is interesting, Scarlet Benoit." Her full name struck a knife of pain and pride. And the itch of disgust. " Your father was a commanding officer here in my castles. He was a valiant soldier, a man dedicated to his family and wife, until the day he ran away. Poof. Nothing was spoken after of Captain Benoit and his where-beings. Your mother went mad with grief and killed herself, leaving you with the mental grandmother."

 _Grandmother_. Scarlet's heart clenched. Grandmother was always the guardian watching over her. Father left right before Scarlet's seventh birthday, and Mother died when Scarlet was eight. Grandmother had taken Scarlet into her arms. For so long, Grandmother had fed her, clothed her, loved her. Scarlet loved her Grandmother so, so much. But when the emperor was attempting to search for Grandmother, it was terrible. Scarlet didn't know why, and she still didn't know.

But she was anything but mental. She was kind, loving, warm, strong, courageous.

" Michelle was an interesting person," the emperor told Scarlet. " She was claimed to have powers. Some sort of . . . strand of the magic that the first emperors and kings of the Commonwealth had. The magic that divided the Commonwealth into two. We called it the Shield. " With the Shield that she had, she could not be hurt. No kind of weapon could pierce her and kill her. And, Michelle could use that power to control other people. The power that could protect others." Scarlet stayed quiet. It was a lie. What the emperor was saying was a lie.

" We believe the day that your father ran away, she was using her powers to protect him. That's why we never found him. Because he was the son of Michelle, it made sense. She wouldn't have wanted her son to enter the battlefield and possibly die. She must've used some sort of power to change his mind and make him flee. His behavior that day left everyone so flustered. Even I couldn't believe it."

The king leaned forward. " Your mother's death was tragic, and I send my condolences to you. You see, Scarlet Benoit, when a person carrying the Shield dies, that power is passed onto the child of their offspring. And that, my dear, would be you." Scarlet gaped. " You're saying I have this power? My grandmother never had it!"

" Your grandmother had it and used it for her own good. Or, she was simply mental."

She hated the emperor talking about her grandmother this way. How dare he say such words! _Calm down_ , she chided herself. _Let's not expose our triggers._

" Anyways, about the ball. I plan to betroth Prince Kai to Princess Winter of the Western Commonwealth. Of course, it's a nasty sort of business. Why should I give up my talented and passionate son to a low land like theirs?"

The way the emperor talked seeped into Scarlet. And it left a dreadful feeling inside of her.

" At the ball, when my son gets engaged to her and travels to the Western Commonwealth, you are to as part of his company. You will be his main maidservant. But, you will have the most important and honorable mission of all."

" What could that be, Your Majesty?"

The king paused. " That would be to wipe Princess Winter off of this world. Forever."


End file.
